Stop Home Foreclosure

Just for clarity of definitions, the term Loan Modification means changing or modifying the terms of an existing loan. It is not a refinance so to speak which, is an entirely new loan usually done to get cash out of the equity in a house or to take advantage of a better interest rate that presents itself. The net effect is similar to a refinance but without the new loan part.

Loan modification deals with the current loan where the home owner and lender hash out modified terms to make it mutually workable and beneficial. Loan modification can solve a problem for both the home owner and lender. Foreclosure costs the lender money. Demonstrating to the lender that you want to save your home and help to work out some type of plan that will in turn resolve the dangers of foreclosure he will in turn be willing to negotiate. Loan modification allows homeowners and lenders to change the terms of a loan in order to help the borrower stay in the home and avoid foreclosure. It is a process that must be understood and thought out completely and thoroughly.

According to a recent report, throughout the country more than 600,000 mortgages have been affected by foreclosure actions. Home owners who are facing hardship with their own mortgages and are contemplating foreclosure are looking for other options. If you can show hardship in no uncertain terms, perhaps in the form of an income/expense statement of some other form brought about by recent events, the lender may help make the terms of the loan conform to fit that data in a workable and mutually beneficial fashion. The only way to know for sure is to enter discussions with the lender. A hardship is what can help you to achieve a loan modification and in turn save your home from plummeting into foreclosure. Home loan modifications are established for homeowners just like you who have lost your job, had a decrease in your income or are suffering from a hardship that may be keeping you from work.

Loan modification programs are becoming more popular. Generally this is in the form of a lower interest rate with a fixed loan program. Many of the programs vary in how they work. Contact your lender and advise them of your hardship and get more information. Each mortgage lender or servicer will have different loan modification programs and processes. As mentioned before, loan modification programs are just becoming mainstream and therefore there is little standardization but as time goes by the process should settle in. Take the time to educate yourself so you can take advantage of the billions of dollars in homeowner assistance programs now being offered.

Loan modifications used to be reserved for borrowers whose mortgages became delinquent because of job losses, divorce proceedings, or illness, but today they are also open to those individuals who are suffering in the aftermath of adjustable rate mortgages skyrocketing and placing the monthly payment beyond the means of the borrower. The loan servicer can use several methods to achieve lowering of the payment such as reduce the interest rate to as low as 2%, extend the terms of the loan (possibly up to 40 years), forebear loan principal at no interest. Forbearance is a negotiation process with your mortgage lender to work out the delinquent payments you have not paid due to your financial hardship. The most common loan modifications are lowering the interest rate, reducing the principal balance, ‘fixing’ adjustable interest rates, forgiveness of payment defaults & fees, or any combination of these. It is unknown how long these government assistance programs and loan modification programs will last.

A person could, in the long term final analysis pull cash out of the house, however it would not come in the form of a lump sum but in the payment plan. A person may recover from his hardship and earn a higher income again. His expenses would still be lower. This net difference would be the payment plan and if managed correctly could present new opportunities in the future by the existence of new capital to either pay down the mortgage or invest in ideas for more income or for whatever else one might use an equity draw.

Due to these government assistance programs, the time has never been better for consumers (who own homes) to take action and request that their loans be modified towards better terms and a lower interest rate. It is touted as the top solution to stop foreclosure rates from reaching alarming heights. A loan modification will decrease your monthly payments, lower your rate, avoid foreclosure, and save your home.